In general, the refrigerator is an equipment having a refrigerating device and a freezing device for keeping various food items at a suitable temperature. The refrigerating device and the freezing device control their internal temperatures by using a cooling cycle. The cooling cycle includes a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator and a refrigerant pipe connecting them together, and cooling air required in the refrigerator is generated through heat exchange between a refrigerant flowing in the refrigerant pipe and external air.
A general refrigerator will now be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a general refrigerator.
As shown in FIG. 1, the general refrigerator includes a freezing chamber 10 for keeping food items stored therein frozen and a refrigerating chamber 12 for keeping food items stored therein cold. Cooling air discharge holes 11 are provided at each section in the refrigerating chamber 12 in order to discharge cooling air.
When power is applied to the refrigerator and the cooling cycle is driven, cooling air generated by the driving of the cooling cycle is introduced into the refrigerator through the cooling air discharge holes 11. The temperature inside the refrigerator is lowered by the cooling air introduced into the refrigerator, and a temperature detecting unit (not shown) installed at the refrigerator measures a temperature inside the refrigerator. A main control unit (not shown) installed at the refrigerator controls a temperature inside the refrigerator by controlling a flow of cooling air introduced into the refrigerator through the cooling air discharge holes 11 based on the measured temperature value and a pre-set reference temperature value.
As stated above, the general refrigerator is limited in its function to perform only the refrigerating function and the freezing function. For example, if the user wants to watch a TV or listen to a radio program at the kitchen where the refrigerator is positioned, a TV set or a radio set must be installed in the kitchen for users' inconvenience.